Process for the placement of a sealing strip on a bathing cap,and bathing cap made by the said process

ABSTRACT

A BATHING CAP HAS A MARGINAL EDGING STRIP AND A SEALING STRIP JOINED UNDER PRESSURE TO THE CAP WHILE IN THE RAW PASTE CONDITION PRIOR TO VULCANIZATION TO IMPROVE THE BOND BETWEEN THE MATERIALS.   D R A W I N G

United States Patent PROCESS FOR THE PLACEMENT OF A SEALING STRIP ON A BATHING CAP, AND BATHING CAP MADE BY THE SAID PROCESS 1 Claim, 5 Drawing Figs.

US. Cl 2/68 Int. Cl A42b 1/12 Field of Search 2/68, 174

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3/l937 l2/l920 8/1923 6/1940 6/1942 Brighten Guinzburg..... Auster et al.

Johnson Howland Primary Examiner-H Hampton Hunter Attorney-Christen & Sabol ABSTRACT: A bathing cap has a marginal edging strip and a sealing strip joined under pressure to the cap while in the raw paste condition prior to vulcanization to improve the bond between the materials.

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- l PROCESS FOR THE PLACEMENT OF A SEALING STRIP ON A BATI-IING CAP, AND BA'IIIING CAP MADE BY THE SAID PROCESS It is known that bathing caps generally are provided with a sealing strip that is placed along the opening edge or near the edge, being set on after the vulcanization step. To achieve this, the strip is bonded onto the cap. This process involves two drawbacks. On the one hand, the bonding may not remain perfect in the course of time, and the strip may become detached. On the other hand, because the strip is joined to the cap itself over its whole width, it undergoes irregular stresses, and the seal often leaves something to be desired.

The process of this invention eliminates these drawbacks, ensuring perfect joining of the strip to the cap, and a very substantial improvement of the seal of the cap and its application to the wearer's head.

This process of placement is essentially characterized in that it consists in a roll-on self-winding operation in one or more passes, for attachment of an edging strip constituting a decorative rim around the opening of the cap, and of a sealing strip itself, the strip being in the form of a raw paste, before the cold-vulcanizing process, so that the said strip constitutes a free-floating portion, fitted in as a lining inside the opening edge of the cap, and only joined marginally to the said cap.

According tov a method for carrying out the invention process, the edging and the sealing strip are delivered at a right angle to the self-welding roller, by special guides and channels which are suitably oriented so that the said edging and the said sealing strip are always positioned with precision with reference to the cap and the rollers.

According to an embodiment that allows still further improvement of the seal of the cap, fixation inside the cap of a second strip is provided, in a manner substantially parallel and at a specific distance from the first strip, the said second strip being positioned, set in place and roll welded in the same conditions as the first.

According to a first characteristic of the process of the invention, the marginal edge of the sealing strip fixed to the cap is engaged between the edging strip that straddles the cap edge and the cap itself.

According to a second characteristic, the sealing strip is joined according to the same principle of self-welding by rolling on floating part of the edging that is not welded to the cap edge. 7

According to a third characteristic, the sealing strip is joined to the edging strip at the outside of the part thereof that is fixed to the cap edge.

The invention likewise comprises, of course, as novel products of manufacture, caps made by the said process and comprising application of one or the other of its characteristic features.

Other features and advantages of the invention will become evident in the course of the following description which, made with reference to the attached drawings, given by way of nonlimitative example, will make clear how the present invention can be carried into practice, the features that become evident from text and drawing constituting a part of the invention, of course. 7

FIG. 1 is a schematic view in transverse section, showing the self-welding device for placement of an edging strip and a sealing strip on the opening edge of a bathing cap.

FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view showing the special guides and guide channels that continuously deliver the edging strip and the sealing strip below the self-welding rollers.

FIGS. 3, 4 and 5 show schematically in cross section different ways of carrying out the invention and allowing different ways of attaching the sealing strip with reference to the cap opening.

In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, there is shown at l the edge of the bathing cap, at 2 the edging strip mounted to straddle the said edge, and at 3 the sealing strip. Number 4 indicates the support which allows the holding and the passage of the cap edge as it moves opposite welding rollers 5 and 6 disposed on either side of the edge of the cap.

t 7 and 8 there are two special guides or channels which guide the edging strip 2 as it passes continuously before rollers 5 and 6 and which issues from a receptacle that continuously supplies the said edging strip. At 9 there is a special guide that allows guidance of sealing strip 3, which also is extracted from a continuous supply.

According to the process of the invention, the rolling on self-welding operation is effected while the paste that constitutes the cap, edging and sealing strips is still raw, i.e. the operation takes place before the vulcanization. The mutual assembly of the three elements is thus made very easy, the pressure of the roller being determined to obtain adequate selfwelding.

As shown in FIG. 3, a marginal part of strip 3 is introduced between the edge of the cap 1 and edging strip 2 which straddles the edge of the cap, so that strip 3 is held by one of its edges inside the edging strip which is bent in the form of a U.

In FIG. 4 there is a floating portion of the edging strip, marked 2a, and it is onto this part 2a that a marginal portion of strip 3 is roll welded.

Finally, in FIG. 5 strip 3 is joined to edging strip 2, the latter having first been placed in such a way as to enclose the edge of cap I.

These different modifications are not limitative, and it would be possible according to the same principle of rolled self-welding before vulcanization to alfix the edging strip and the sealing strip on the edge of the cap by any other means of placement.

The same process can also be used to provide a second sealing strip, no longer on the edge of the cap opening but inside it, the said supplementary strip being positioned at a certain distance from the first strip, e.g. substantially parallel to the first.

The sealing strip thus placed allows a certain freedom of positioning on the wearer's head, independently of the placing of the cap itself, which ensures a better application and a better seal, the said strip being joined to the cap in a manner that is an improvement over joining of prior art in which the said strip was bonded to the inside of the cap after vulcanizing.

It is readily to be understood that the tension exerted on the cap either in putting on or after it is put on does not act in totality on the strip, which becomes an independent part of the cap except for its joining to it by the edging strip.

It is obvious that without going beyond the scope of the invention, any modification of forms of embodiment just described can be affected, especially the sealing strip 3 can be given any configuration or width that is desired, without involving any modification of the process of placement thereof.

lclaim:

1. A bathing cap of elastic material having a decorative edging of generally U-shaped cross section attached to the margin of the cap body, one leg of the U-shaped edging strip being wider than the other leg, the respective legs of said edging being disposed on the respective sides of the cap body,

said wider leg being attached to body along only a portion of its width adjacent said margin to provide an unattached floating part, and a sealing strip of thin flat elastic material disposed within the cap and secured along only one margin to the surface of said unattached floating part of said edging on the inside of the cap body, the width of said sealing strip being wider than said respective leg of the edging to provide a free floating portion serving as a sealing lining inside the cap when the cap is in stretched condition when worn.

the inner surface of the cap 

